Toast to the future
by The Grey Company
Summary: Oneshot - Zelgius and Sephiran discuss their "death" in the Tower of Guidance from the comfort of their favorite drinking establishment.


Author's note: This idea came about in my head one day and I decided to write it up. Enjoy

Setting, characters, and so forth are all properties of Nintendo

The usual din of the Black Knight tavern filled the air. Chairs and stools scraped against the wooden floor, covered in a layer of dirt tracked in over the 50 years the tavern had been in business. The blend of voices in the crowd of people provided enough background noise to cover up the sound of anyone who wasn't sitting nearby. In the back corner, on the other side of the bar from the main room, two figures sat in the shadows. Had they not been obscured by the dark and their cloaks, every man in the tavern would have looked on at them in shocked recognition, and probably kneeled before the former first minister of Begnion and it's premier general, both presumed dead.

As it was, the only person who knew of their presence was the bartender, Marcus, an old friend of the pair since they began frequenting the establishment thirty years before. The bar was only a few feet away, and Marcus always kept the back table open for personalities who wanted some anonymity. The back door through which they had entered was another service the bartender had offered them when secrecy was of importance. Here, many meetings between the minister and any number of contacts had been conducted. But today, it was merely the spot for the two to celebrate with a good drink.

Zelgius raised his mug and clinked it with the one held in front of it "Here's to a good long holiday from this idiotic world, and the good fortune and planning that won us it." He then proceeded to drain fair portion of its contents and slam it down on the table. Sephiran took a sip from his mug and looked on with a bemused expression.

"How many drinks have you had so far tonight?"

"Only five."

"I shouldn't be surprised. Perhaps I forgot your legendary tolerance for alcohol." Zelgius smiled and took another long gulp. "You know me, I've developed quite a taste for the stuff."

They sat and quietly enjoyed their drinks for a while, before Sephiran decided to break the silence.

"I wonder how people reacted when they found out about our bodies' mysterious disappearance?"

"Levail had a fit after he found out. His childhood hero, killed before his very eyes, was actually putting on a show through it all. Good old Levail. Ever dependable to follow orders and do what's needed. He'll probably end up taking my position whenever Sanaki gets around to it."

"How did you manage it anyway?"

"My armor was nice and spacious. Just look at the ridiculous shoulder pauldrons they gave me. I could wiggle around a bit to avoid the tip of his sword. And I did my best to give him just enough force to put a gash in my armor without hurting me."

"Sounds like there wasn't any danger to your person at all."

"Hey, Ike almost scratched me a couple times there."

Sephiran burst out laughing, leaning into his chair and throwing his head back in uncontrollable spasms of delight.

"What's so funny? I was in serious danger. You pulled off a nice one yourself, mister 'You have to kill me to open this door.' Sometimes I wonder at the gullibility of Ike and company."

Sephiran calmed down and regained his usually straight posture.

" I will admit that it was fortunate I was 'felled' by a burst of fire. That made it nice and easy to play dead. And if Ike and company had just walked past me and opened the door, they would have had no problem in doing it."

"What a surprise."

Zelgius drained his drink and knocked on the bar, placing a handful of coins down. About a minute later, the coins were replaced with a fresh drink. It was slowly claimed by its owner, looking into the amber liquid appreciatively as he brought it down to the table. "So, what's our budget for this operation?"

Sephiran smiled his smug victorious smile. "As it happens, I had the personal fortunes of the recently deceased dukes Numida, Gaddos, Asmin and Culbert seized on the charges of treason, and put in a safehouse for our use before the events at the Tower of Guidance unfolded. We are now the richest two men in all of Tellius." Zelgius let out a long whistle.

"With that kind of money, we could live out the rest of our lives without working a single day."

"I wouldn't plan on it Zelgius. I for one plan on returning once our names and faces are forgotten for a couple generations and going back to help guide the ship of state. And I suspect I will be needing you as my right hand once again."

"Wonderful." Zelgius' voice dripped with sarcasm, "But hey, that's a long way away."

"Try somewhere around a century." Zelgius blinked several times at Sephiran. His lips suddenly bent into a smile.

"I'll drink to that." he said, raising his glass.

"To a century of free life without responsibilities." They clinked their mugs and drank down the last of their beer.

A/N: Review please, constructive criticism would be much appreciated. Read the whole thing first though.


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